IOWA GOP PROPOSES BAN ON GAY MARRIAGE

Jason Parsley

epublican lawmakers in Iowa have introduced legislation that would amend the state’s Constitution to define marriage as between a man and a

According to the Des Moines Register, it’s doubtful any of the bills will pass.

House Joint Resolution 8, cosponsored by eight Republicans, states: “In accordance with the laws of nature and nature’s God, the state of Iowa recognizes the definition of marriage to be the solemnized union between one human biological male and one human biological female.”

Another bill targeting marriage equality, House File 508, also cosponsored by eight Republicans, states marriage is “a sacred religious sacrament” and no resident shall be compelled to recognize any same-sex marriage as valid.

A unanimous Iowa Supreme Court decision in 2009 made Iowa the third state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. In addition, in 2015 the Supreme Court in Obergefell v. Hodges ruled same-sex couples had a fundamental right of marriage. In 2022, the Respect for Marriage Act was signed into law, putting additional safeguards in place to protect marriage equality.